Indonesians dazzled by anything Western
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesians are too easily "dazzled" by anything Western, from food, lifestyles to economic and democratic systems, as if they are all worth copying, a noted scholar says.
Economist Sri Edi Swasono, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Cooperative Council, said this trend could eventually wipe out national identity and culture, the Antara news agency reported yesterday.
"If we let this go on, then people's sense of nationhood will further erode and this in turn will threaten our national resilience," he said at a one-day discussion organized by the Association of Rhetoric Lovers.
Sri Edi, a staff lecturer at Jakarta's University of Indonesia's school of economy, said that more and more Indonesians are opting for foreign food in preference over local traditional fare.
People are now flocking to fast-food outlets serving Western food, despite the food, such as hamburger and pizza, being considered junk food in the country of origin.
He recalled that once a Westerner asked him about the decision by Indonesia's airport authorities to screen Western films in the waiting lounges. "I replied that Indonesians no longer like locally made films."
But what is even more worrying is that the Indonesian economy is now also moving towards capitalism and liberalism, he warned. "The free market system will jeopardize our goal to attain social justice for all the people."
The free market system, he added, discriminates against the poor people because they do not have access to credit facilities. This is a denial of the people's economic rights. "The poor without purchasing power will be mere spectators. They will always be outside the economic transaction fences.
"The free market economy will eventually hand the private sector and foreign investors those branches of the economy that affect the livelihood of the masses," he said.
Sri Edi's remarks add to the growing chorus of scholars and politicians who questioned Indonesia's decision to push for a free trade area in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum by the year 2020.
Lt. Gen. Moetojib, the governor of the National Resilience Institute of the Armed forces, said in his presentation at the discussion that all parties must be vigilant against the strong current of economic globalization.
Moetojib however stressed that Indonesia could not escape the effects of globalization.
Indonesia should respond to the challenge by sharpening its economic competitiveness to penetrate, maintain and expand its access to the world markets.
Some of Indonesia's age old traditional values are now being tested by the process of globalization. They include the communal culture, religion, traditional family values, respect for elders, solidarity and the concept of gotong royong (mutual help), he said.
These values are being challenged by alien cultures which are materialistic and individualistic, he added. (emb)